How did Fairleigh Dickinson make it to NCAA March Madness without winning their conference tournament?

The first few teams are punching their tickets to the NCAA March Madness as the tournament's picture begins to be painted. Fairleigh Dickinson University is at the top of the list, and they did it without winning their conference tournament.

The Knights entered the Northeast Conference Tournament as the second seed and will face off against Merrimack College on Tuesday in the conference final. Regardless of the outcome of this game, Fairleigh Dickinson will be representing the conference in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

Merrimack is still in the midst of its four-year reclassification process from Division II to Division I. This makes them ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, but the NEC announced last summer that it would allow Merrimack to participate in the conference tournament this year. After going 12-4 in conference play and 17-16 overall this year, Merrimack managed to secure the top seed and cruise through the tournament.

Since Merrimack is ineligible, Fairleigh Dickinson will represent the NEC in the NCAA March Madness tournament as they are the second-ranked team in the conference. This marks their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, with the last time coming in 2019.

A similar situation also occurred last season in the ASUN tournament. Bellarmine won the conference tournament but was ineligible due to their reclassification status. Jacksonville State was given an automatic bid to represent the conference in the tournament. They were given a 15 seed and knocked out by 2nd-seeded Auburn in the opening round.

What to know about Fairleigh Dickinson's journey to NCAA March Madness

Regardless of the technicality, it is an amazing step forward for Fairleigh Dickinson to make the NCAA March Madness tournament. First-year coach Tobin Anderson took over a program that finished 4-22 last season. Pushing them to a 19-14 overall record and 10-6 in conference play is an impressive turnaround.

While they are unlikely to make much noise in the NCAA March Madness tournament, they have a well-rounded roster that can be counted on to compete regardless of the matchup they draw.

Fairleigh Dickinson is led in scoring by 5-foot-8 senior Demetre Roberts, who averages 16.7 points per game. Fellow senior and 5-foot-9 guard Grant Singleton also adds 14.4 points per game, while sophomore Ansley Almonor produces 14.1 points per game.

What they lack in size they make up for in their pace of play. The Knights average an impressive 78.2 points per game and will see how their high pace of play stacks up on the bigger stage. It should be looked at as a huge step forward for both Merrimack and Fairleigh Dickinson this season as they prepare to face off in the conference finale with less at stake than usual.